The former Vancouver resident, who fled to California after killing Randhawa on Jan. 26, 1999, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on March 11 just as his trial was set to begin.

His conviction carries a life sentence with a minimum 10 years before parole eligibility.

But Crown prosecutor Sandra Cunningham asked Butler to keep Singh behind bars for between 17 and 20 years before allowing him to apply for parole.

She said Singh’s murder was pre-planned and unprovoked and that he hid out in California for 12 and a half years with the help of his family.

Singh’s lawyer Russ Chamberlain argued Thursday that the 10-year minimum is appropriate because Singh, now 35, has no prior criminal record and had an unstable upbringing. The lawyer noted Singh’s father died before he was born.

Chamberlain said Singh’s crime was impulsive and came from his immaturity and jealousy.

“It was not born out of a malicious desire to kill another human being,” he said. “It wasn’t a cruel hunting down of this woman to kill her in my submission.”

And the veteran defence lawyer said Singh will be deported to India as soon as he is out of prison because he is not a Canadian; nor will be be able to return to the U.S.

“When it comes to the apology, we don’t feel that that was a sincere apology at all. He was playing to the court,” Harry Randhawa said. “We’ve waited 14 years. Our lives have been devastated and put on hold. To hear that his defence is looking for 10 years and then he’s going to get deported and sent away to India where he can re-establish himself and have a nice life, well that’s great....that’s not justice.”

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